Circuit and voltage testing device



F. MARINELLO CIRCUIT AND VOLTAGE TESTING DEVICE Aug. 14, I951 FIG. 2

l I I I I I I I I I l I I FIG.I

INYENTOR FRANK MARINELLO ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 14, 1951 UNITED I sTATEsPATENT OFFICE 2,564,166 CIRCUIT AND VOLTAGE TESTING DEVICE FrankMarincllo, Chicago, Ill. Application February 14, 1947, Serial No.728,534

1 Claim.

This invention is directed to novel portable devices adapted for testingelectrical circuits and voltage. 7 g

An important object of my invention A is the provision of a novelcombination of structural cooperable elements which include flexiblecable means and releasable terminals attached to a portable casing andwhich is electrically connected with the dry cell circuit, and whichwhen applied to a conductive object will signal the closing of thecircuit. Further objects include the combination of a battery cellhousing, a signal light, a circuit connecting said signal light with thecell and with a cable terminal member, and a pair of testing cableshaving fuse elements interposed therein, being adapted to form part ofthe circuit to illuminate said signal light.

It is a further important object of my invention to provide a compactportable device which may be carried by electricians and others in apocket or tool chest and which is adapted for use as a circuit tester aswell as an illuminating means, both of which may have a commoncontrollable circuit with the contained batter cells, and in which thesame illuminating element may be selectively used either as a lightingelement or as a signal to indicate a closed circuit through an objectbeing tested.

Other and further important objects of my invention will .be apparentfrom the following .description and appended claim.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of my device with parts broken away to show partsin cross section and in elevation. I

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits. Fig. 3 is an end viewlooking at the head of the unit and with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawing: 7 4 Numeral l0 designates an elongated casing,housing or shell, which is preferably cylindrical and formed of eithermetal, plastic or equivalent material. The lower end of said casing I0is externally threaded and a removable end cap H is removablythreadedthereon. 'A metal expansion spring I 2 has one end seated insaid cap H and its opposite end is adapted to normally press against thebottom of one of the battery cells [3. In the illustration ofthe drawingthe casing i0 is formed of a plastic non-conductive material.

The opposite end portion of the casing 10 terminates in a head portionwhich is generally designated as M. Such head portion I4 may extendthreaded annular portions extend in opposite directions and which havethreadingly mounted thereon flanged retaining rings l5 and I5a whichremovably mount rounded reflectors I 6, (only one of which saidreflectors is shown at the right of Fig. 1). Said rings also hold inplace transparent lens I! in the usual manner.

The centrally apertured reflectors l6 carry bulb sockets l8 in whichconventional light bulbs I9 and I 9a are threadingly mounted so thattheir inner terminal ends respectively project inwardly.

Said head [4 is partially defined by an annular integral end wall 20,shown in cross section in Fig. 1.

Referring to the right side of Fig. 1, a metal conductive strip 2| isdisposed along the inside of the casing wall and one end thereofnormally contacts the base of spring l2 and its other end extends to apin or fastener 22 which extends through the casing wall and secures tosaid casing one end of a yieldable metal spring or switch arm 23 whichis bent to normally hold itself out of contact with a contact terminal24 which extends through the casing wall and secures one end portion ofa metal circuit wire or strip 25 whose other end is electricallyconnected to the socket 3.

An aperturecl metal bracket 26 is secured to casing II] b rivets orequivalent fastening elements 21. Said bracket 28 carries depressablecontact button 28 which when depressed presses the spring switch 23 intocircuit closing position. An optional slidable button 29 may be slidablymounted in a slot of said bracket 26 and is adapted to lock the switchin closed position. i p

The inner portion of the Wall defining the head M has an aperturetherein in which is mounted a contact element 30 which is normally incontact with the central terminal of the battery.

Secured by threaded units in two spaced apart holes in the wall 20 ofhead [4 are terminal screws or posts 3| and 32. Said posts 3| and 32 areadapted to. have removably mounted thereon a pair either in onedirection transversely of-the casing 3 I 0 or may extend in an otherdirection as the positioning of the reflector and direct light medium isa matter of choice and-equivalent. In the particular illustration of thedrawing, I illustrate an optional double. head whose externally ,(onlyfragments of which of flexible insulated conductive cables 33 and 34 areillustrated in Fig.1).

A metal bar, strip or wire 39 electrically connects terminal post 3| andthe inner terminal of bulb l9 and contact terminal 30.

Mounted in an opening in the wall 20 of the head I4 is a bulb socket 35in which is threaded a conventional light bulb 36. .Said socket 35 andbulb 36 may be varied as to positions with re-" spect to the casing orhead, it being understood that the drawing is illustrative of oneembodiment of my invention. For example such socket and bulb may bemounted in the second head of the casing. A conductive bar or strip 31is mount- 3, one of said fuses ed along the inside of the casing l andit electrically connects the socket 35 with one side of the switch 23,preferably connecting with strip 2!.

An offset angular metal contact member 38 has one end secured to theterminal post 32 and its innerrendportion is. disposed so. thatit isnormally contacted by the inner central contact terminal of the bulb 36.

The posts 3| and 32 may be releasably connected with a movable shunt baror switch arm which may, if so desired, be entirely removed. A portionof such arm is illustrated. in Fig. 1. When it is not desired to use thebulb 36 as a selective illuminating means, such barefilzmaybedisconnected from one of said posts and allowed to remain attached tothe other of said posts for easy re-attachment as aforesaid.

When such switch or shunt bar-is removed' from one of said posts, thecables 33 and 3 1 may'be used'for circuit testing as Accordingly whenthe ends of the cables 33 and 34 are contacted to spaced apart points ofa wire or other object whose circuit is to be tested, the closed circuitleads from the central terminal of the foremost batter cell throughelement bar 39, post 3|, cable 33, object being tested, post 32, contactbracket 38, bulb 36, cont act bar 31, strip 2|, spring l2 and end wallof battery cell. When the object being tested conducts the currenttherethrough, the bulb 36 will be illuminated. If said bulb is notilluminated when cables 33- and 34 are contacted to the object beingtested, the user will know that such object is not contacting currentthrough itself and that it is brokenor faulty.

In Fig. 2, I have illustrateddiagrammatically the aforesaid circuits.

By testing successive segments of an accessible circuit wire or othercurrent conductor in the described manner, the user may easily locatethe break or faulty section to permit repair or replacement thereof.

As circuit wires or equivalent electrical conductors to be tested carrycurrents of varying and substantial voltage, I provide fuses of thedesired strength in the flexible cables 33 and 34. .In-Eig.

40 is diagrammatically illustrated as interposed between cable-3 1 and acable section 34a whose end portion is additionally-insulated andpreferably provided with a passaged non-conductive handle or grippingmember composed of separable though connected sections:4l and 42 throughwhich the cable section3d: extends. The outer end portion of themetalwire of the cable is exposed so as to facilitate contact with the objectbeing tested. Cable 33 (only a fragment of which is shown) is preferablysimilarly equipped with an interposed fuse similarto and with a grippingmember such as G l, '42.

As diagrammatically illustrated in'Fig'Z and as partially shown in Fig.l, the central contact member of bulb [9a is electrically connected-by ametal connector 43 with a terminal screw- 44 which is mounted in asuitable aperture in the head l4 and which projects toward the sideopposite to the viewer of Fig. l. A suitable resistor 49 is interposedin connector 43. A-second terminal post or screw 35 is mounted in thehead l4 and projects outwardly through the wall of the head l4, thisbeing partially illustrated at the upper left of Fig. l. Said terminalpost is electrically connected to the metal reflector whose centralportion forms the bulb socket l 8, by means of a circuitwire or bar Mwhich has a voltage resistor 41 of the desired size interposed therein.

3i (or 32) hereinbefore described.

"be. .contactedto live "which will efiect. illumination of the bulb Isato By use of this device in Cables 33 and 34 are adapted to be removablyconnected to the outer end portions (not shown) of the terminal posts 44and 45, after removal from posts 3| and 32, and when so connected theexposed end portions of the cables are adapted to circuit atspaced apartpoints of aforesaid resistor 41. testing circuits of a wide from 50 to500 volts, the user varying degrees because voltage range, i. e.

==w11r notice-andeasily memorize the different in- .tensitiesof the bulblea when the current partially passes therethrough and such user willfrom 'timexto-timesbecable to judge the approximate voltage of a circuitor section of a circuit being tested.

Where desired suitable means, i. e. bafiie or partition-element;illustrated by 48 irifl?ig.=3 of nonconductive material may be mounted.within' the casing head so as to separat the interiorparts of thevoltage tester circuitfrom theremaining circuit with the other ferentembodiments ofother parts herein described.

As ;many changes could be made in theabove construction, and manyapparently Widely difmy invention, within the scope of the claim,constructed without departing from the spirit orscope thereof, it isintended that all matter contained in the accompanying specificationshall beinterpreted as =illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1

An electrical circuit testing device comprising a casing, at least onebattery c'ell within said casing, a pair of terminals mounted onsaid-casing, electrical conductonmeans connecting the first of saidterminals to a terminal of said .battery cell, a lamp-bulb mounted onsaid casing an electrical conductor connecting a terminal of said lampto the second of said pair of terminals, the other terminal of said lampbeing in electrical terminal ofsaid battery, means for selectivelyelectrically connecting said pair of terminals to-complete acircuitthrough said 'lamp whereby to energize said lamp at --a known voltage, asecond pair of terminals mounted on said casing, a second lamp bulbmounted on saidcasing, a conductor, includin a resistance element ofpredetermined value connecting. each of said pair of terminals,respectively, to a terminal of said secondlamp bulb, a cable conductorconnected to each of said second pair of terminals and adapted to beselectively connected into an external'electricalcircuit to be testedsoas to energize said second lamp, the comparative intensities ofillumination of saidlamps indicating substantially the relative-voltagein the circuit being tested.

FRANK MARINELLO.

..file of. this patent:

.UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date .1 925312 PAddiB June 15, 19091,528,709 Trimble -.Mar. 3, 1925 ..1-,631,213 .Latour J.une 7,192?1,852,190 :Roe 'Apr. 5, 1932 1,886,489 Ludwig Nov. 8,- 1932 2,038,277'.Gent. Apr. 21, 1936 2,156,319 .Steele May 2, 1939 2,231,660 :"Carlotti'etal Feb. 11, 1941 2,302,248 .lOlson N 0v. 1'7,- 19.42

